Vehicle Overview
The Impreza is available as a sedan or hatchback. Trim levels include the naturally aspirated four-cylinder 2.5i and Outback Sport, as well as turbocharged WRX models. All-wheel drive is standard. Competitors include the Mazda3 and Volkswagen Jetta. A 305-horsepower Impreza WRX STI tops the model line, both in price and in speed.
(Skip to details on the: Impreza Outback Sport, WRX and WRX STI)
New for 2011
Subaru has added an optional TomTom navigation system that has a removable 4.3-inch touch screen. The portable nav system is available on the new Outback Sport Special Edition and Impreza 2.5i Premium models. All models except the base Impreza 2.5i have a new audio system with a single-disc CD player, Bluetooth, iPod control and satellite radio capability, and a USB port. The Impreza 2.5 GT model has been discontinued.
Exterior
All non-Impreza Outback and WRX models are available as either a sedan or hatchback. Hatchback models get clear-lens taillights with red LEDs. Exterior features include:
- Standard body-colored door handles and mirrors
- Standard rear lip spoiler (hatchback)
- Optional fog lamps
- Optional power tilt/slide glass sunroof
- 16-inch wheels standard
- Optional 17-inch wheels
Interior
The interior has a businesslike austerity to it. Metallic inlays flank the center controls, and the center console houses an optional navigation system. All models come with a 60/40-split folding backseat. The hatch gets a cargo area cover and tie-down hooks. Interior features include:
- Standard air conditioning
- Standard cruise control
- Standard power windows and locks
- Optional automatic climate control
- Optional leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter
- Optional portable touch screen navigation
Under the Hood
With the demise of the 2.5 GT, all Imprezas now come with a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder. Mechanical features include:
- 170-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 170 pounds-feet of torque
- Five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission
- Standard all-wheel drive
Safety
All Imprezas include an impressive array of safety features. They include:
- Standard side-impact and side curtain airbags
- Standard electronic stability system with traction control
- Standard antilock brakes with brake-force distribution and brake assist
- Standard hill start assist (manual versions only)
- Standard daytime running lamps
Impreza Outback Sport
The Impreza Outback Sport is a more rugged Impreza, similar to how Volvo distinguishes the V70 from the XC70. It’s only available as a four-door hatchback featuring a two-tone appearance, with the lower section of the body a contrasting silver hue.
A new Special Edition Model available with a portable TomTom navigation system with a removable 4.3-inch touch screen has been added as an option for 2011.
- 170-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 170 pounds-feet of torque
- Five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission
- Heavy-duty raised suspension
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter
- Heated front seats
- 10-speaker surround-sound system Back to top
Subaru WRX
The WRX has adopted the 2010 STI model’s wider body and more aggressive exterior.
Because the current-generation STI had been available only as a hatchback, the wide-body styling appears on a sedan for the first time this year in both the WRX sedan and an all-new STI sedan. It includes wider fenders and squared-off bumpers. The grille is now black; gone is the previous model year’s chrome bar. Carrying over from last year are a prominent hood scoop, to funnel air into the turbo’s intercooler, and a spoiler on the hatchback’s liftgate. The WRX sedan has an optional spoiler on the trunklid that’s more subtle than the STI’s. The sedan’s taillights are red, whereas the hatch has clear lenses.
The widening isn’t limited to the body. The distance between the left and right wheels, known as the vehicle’s track, is 1.5 inches wider. The WRX’s suspension is firmer than the regular Impreza’s, and for 2011 it has slight changes, including firmer rear bushings. The standard wheels are 17 inches, and this year they’re 8 inches wide, up from 7 inches, for more grip.
All WRX models employ a turbocharged version of Subaru’s 2.5-liter four-cylinder that generates 265 hp and 244 pounds-feet of torque. A five-speed manual is the only transmission, and the standard all-wheel drive uses a viscous coupling center differential rather than the more sophisticated system that works with an automatic transmission in the more modest Imprezas.
The WRX’s interior is distinguished from other Imprezas by sport seats with checkered black cloth upholstery with red accent stitching. The pedals and dead pedal have aluminum alloy covers.
The leather steering wheel tilts and telescopes, and it incorporates buttons for the cruise control and audio system. A new single-CD stereo adds Bluetooth audio streaming and hand-free cellular capability along with USB and analog jacks for controlling or simply playing an MP3 player through the stereo. Other standard features include remote keyless entry and automatic climate control. Satellite radio and a navigation system are options. The WRX Premium adds heated seats and side mirrors, a moonroof and projector-beam fog lights. The WRX Limited adds leather upholstery and xenon headlights. Back to top
Subaru WRX STI
The STI version of the WRX now comes as a sedan for the first time in this generation. For 2011 its suspension is retuned with higher spring rates and thicker stabilizer bars and remains a step firmer and more performance oriented than the regular WRX’s. Its version of the turbo-four produces 305 hp and 290 pounds-feet of torque. Its six-speed manual joins a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system with limited-slip front and rear differentials. The center differential has three driver-selectable performance modes and variable torque distribution settings. The brakes use Brembo-brand four-piston front and two-piston rear calipers. The alloy wheels measure 18 by 8.5 inches. The STI has quad tailpipes — enlarged to 3 inches in diameter — and the sedan has a huge rear wing spoiler. Back to top
